Martha Wells Razor’s Edge Interview

She’s about to embark on her maiden voyage in the Star Wars universe with Razor’s Edge, the first entry in the Empire and Rebellion series and she’s here to talk. Please welcome to Jedi News Martha Wells.

JN – Your story drops the readers right into an era of Star Wars that we’ve longed to return to, the time period between Star Wars and Empire. Is that an era you are excited to visit and write in?

MW – Yes, I was very excited to write in this period. I was 13 when A New Hope came out and it made me a huge Star Wars fan, so I grew up watching these characters.

JN – Dark Horse are also inhabiting that era with Brian Wood’s Star Wars title. Is there any cross-pollination between Del Rey and Dark Horse in terms of plot, locations and characterisations?

MW – Not for Razor’s Edge. I got to see some scripts for the first few issues, but that was after I’d already finished the outline and started writing the book.

JN – The Readers, and not only female readers, are excited to see a novel shine a strong focus on Leia Organa, and at a period when her life is likely at it’s most emotional and hectic. What has it been like to find the words for Leia?

MW – It’s been fun, and I’ve really liked being able to depict her in the way I’ve always seen her.

JN – If you’d had a choice of an era to write in, would this have been your choice or is there another era that interests you?

MW – No, this is definitely my first choice.

JN – Which of the three original trilogy films shows Leia at her best?

MW – A New Hope was my favorite for a long time, but I also really liked Carrie Fisher’s performance in The Empire Strikes Back.

JN – There’s a definite change in Leia between Star Wars and Empire, from the regal demeanour of Star Wars to the more hands-on character of Empire. Clearly a lot happened off-screen between the films, something you are writing about in Razor’s Edge. Was there a plan to show that change, or did you ‘wing it’ and write Leia as she came to you?

MW – As a longtime fan, I wrote Leia as I always saw her. I wanted to show her as a leader and fighter, and someone who could make the hard decisions and carry them out. I think she’s always been hands-on to a certain extent, but she just didn’t have as many chances to get out on the front lines before Alderaan’s destruction.